1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lock arrangement for a vehicle sliding door.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some vehicles have sliding doors. The sliding mechanism includes guide rails attached to the vehicle body, and rollers supported on the door. The rollers are guided by the rails so that the door can slide relative to the vehicle body.
Generally, only one lock is provided to lock the door to the vehicle body when the door is in its closed position. The location of this lock is a point of the rear of the door. When the door is in its closed position, the rear of the door is supported on the vehicle body by means of the lock and the front of the door is supported on the vehicle body by means of the engagement between the guide rails and the rollers. The support by the lock is adequately firm, while the support by the engagement between the guide rails and the rollers is relatively weak. Accordingly, it is necessary to increase the thicknesses or the sizes of the door and other parts in order to obtain reliable support of the door.